A Modest Proposal
by Sleepy Lotus
Summary: Sequel to "Deeply". The Pearl, mid DMC, Jack throws Elizabeth a captain's dinner. Wine and rum flow. When Elizabeth expresses certain *frustrations* about her relations with Will, Captain Jack Sparrow is only too happy to clarify a few things. Look out, whelp! While playing teacher Jack may prove to be the thief of hearts instead…
1. Just A Bite

**A Modest Proposal**

 _A/n: Writing all these innocent one-shots is driving me slightly mad. So this is part II of Deeply, and it's rather shameless if I do say so myself... :) If you haven't read Deeply, all you really need to know is that when Lizzy finds Jack on Tortuga, he kisses her silly. :P Slightly AU, on the assumption that it took more than one day to reach the isle las cruces in DMC._

 **Chapter 1: Just A Bite**

Elizabeth learned long ago that having more than a single glass of wine with dinner was a dubious prospect at best. Not because she could not handle herself, but because she had a tendency to say _exactly_ what she thought. _In vino veritas_ , as it were. In polite society, more often than not, the result was usually detrimental to the egos of her peers, if not outright insulting. Here, in Jack Sparrow's cabin, such freedom of tongue seemed equally as dangerous, though for completely different reasons.

As though kissing her silly hadn't been flustering enough, earlier that day he'd asked her to _marry_ him. True, it had been a rather _sideways_ proposal, tongue in cheek, in the way only Jack Sparrow could put forth an idea. Almost a joke. A _dare_ , even. And yet somehow, she was beginning to suspect that maybe he really had been _serious._

Her mind _reeled_ as she thought of the way they had sparred earlier over the Letters of Marque. _One word love: curiosity. You long for freedom. You long to do what you want to do because you want it. To act on selfish impulse. You want to see what it's like. One day you won't be able to resist._

God how she feared he was right.

He'd come within a hair's breadth of kissing her _again_ in front of the _whole_ crew—and she wasn't sure she wouldn't have let him. At the last minute he'd retreated, leaving her flustered, relieved, and more disappointed than an engaged woman had _any_ business being.

Jack was like a king in his castle now that he had the Pearl back. Confident, swaggering, even _gallant_ in his hospitality. He had put on a real captain's dinner for her that evening, a sumptuous spread of roast chicken, vegetables, and fruits, the way a ship only could just out of port. Libation flowed freely, and Jack kept her wine glass full with a vintage of Burgundy that had been put away in a dusty cellar long before either of them had been born. An extravagance no doubt pilfered from an ill-fated French ship.

Jack had switched to rum a little while ago, and though he tried to encourage Lizzy to do the same with a Puckish twinkle in his eye, _for old time's sake,_ Elizabeth insisted she stick to wine.

It seemed safer that way.

By the wolfish way Jack looked at her, even out the corner of his eye, she should have known better.

Worse yet, she was having _the time of her life._

She _tried_ to feel guilty, to worry about Will, and Beckett, her father…but her heart just wasn't having it.

 _Jack is_ _ **here**_ it whispered, rejoicing. _You only agreed to marry Will because you thought for sure you'd never see him again._

She wished it wasn't true. Will was her dearest friend, and she would love him _always_ as such— _a friend—_ but as time went on she suspected more and more this impending wedding could be the greatest mistake of her life. When Beckett interrupted— _intervened_ …her heart had sighed with deepest relief.

Oh, but if there was anything Elizabeth Swann hated, it was admitting that she was _wrong._

She frowned, an expression of which did not escape the notice of Captain Sparrow.

 _Nothing_ escaped the notice of Captain Sparrow, it seemed. He paused in his amusing story of how he'd outwitted the _gendarmes_ in a caper on Martinique to ask, "What's wrong, love?"

There was a long pause, in which Elizabeth considered the cliff before her, the thrill of the prospect of jumping coursing through her bones.

She took a deep breath, and jumped.

"Did you mean it, Jack?"

"Mean what?"

"When…you asked me to marry you. I never would have thought you the type."

He smiled a little, dark eyes casting down. "Suppose you have a way of bringing it out in a man."

"Proposals?" She laughed, and took a drink of wine. Oh God, what Pandora's box had she opened?

He fixed his glittering gaze upon her, obsidian eyes that could capture a woman's soul. She held her breath as he looked upon her like that, unable to move, unable to breathe.

" _Desire_ ," he corrected, the corner of his mouth quirking when she choked on her wine.

 _What a coward you are, Jack Sparrow,_ he chided himself, feeling a bit raw from earlier. A proposal of mar-i-age fell from his lips so easily for this girl, yet she hadn't jumped on the idea with a _yes,_ and so he _still_ held his heart back. He could admit that he desired her, but not that he could give her _everything_.

If he survived the Kraken and Davy Jones, of course.

"That's a _terrible_ thing to base a marriage upon," she quickly retorted.

It was Jack's turn to laugh. "Tis it? Think they're built upon less pleasant things every day, darlin'."

Elizabeth huffed, looking away. An embarrassing flush assailed her cheeks, painting them a rosy pink. "Pleasant for men, maybe," she grumbled into her wine glass, before taking a long drink.

Her experiments with Will had been _less_ than satisfying, to date. Will had promised her it would be different once they were married. She couldn't really fathom _why._ The first time had hurt like the devil, the second almost as much, and every time after…just left her feeling even more pent up than when they'd first started. She could hardly see the bloody _point._

"What was that, darlin'?" said Jack, cupping his ear with his hand, a dangerous glimmer in his eye.

Elizabeth sighed, pressing long fingers to her throat. Was it just her, or was it suddenly _ridiculously warm_ in Jack's cabin?

"I just…don't understand what all the fuss is about," she huffed, unable to meet Jack's gaze. A knot in the table suddenly became _very_ interesting to her questing fingernail. Out the corner of her eye she noticed Jack straighten a little in his chair, his expression sharpening like a hound on point.

"Would you like… _clarification_ on the matter?" he offered, praying she would say yes, unsure how he was so lucky that the conversation had turned this way by _her_ direction. _Stupid whelp,_ thought Jack. _Silly silly boy. He could not_ handle _a woman like Elizabeth._

No great surprise there, really.

Elizabeth frowned. "And then what? Could you make love with me, Jack, then set me free to marry Will?"

It was Jack's turn to almost choke on his rum, and he didn't look too happy about the prospect. "Are those your terms, Lizzy?" he asked quietly, a shadow in his eyes.

Who was he kidding? _Marriage._ It implied a future, a future of which most likely he did not have, much less with _her._

 _Fine._

He would spring at what chance he got with Elizabeth, no matter how paltry. It would be better than nothing. Better than nights filled with fantasy and the ministrations of his own palm, as he _had_ been doing.

" _Terms_?" She shook her head with disbelief, dizzy. What was she _doing?_ Somehow she'd entered _negotiations_ with _Jack_ , the _most_ clever man she knew, without even realizing.

This was _too_ much.

She was a little fool, and she _had_ to go before she really did something irreversible. Elizabeth leapt out of her chair. "I thank you for the delightful repast, Captain Sparrow, but I do think it's high time I found my hammock for the evening."

On long legs she made an attempt for the door, but Jack was too quick, leaping out of his chair. He stopped her with hands upon her shoulders, a gentle touch that pinned her just as effectively as steel manacles. " _Lizzy, wait_ …"

He _couldn't_ let her go now. Not when they were so close to…some sort of _truce._

Jack's gentle touch upon her shoulders burned like _fire,_ electrifying her skin all over. It was unbearably _exquisite_ , and she couldn't help but wonder what other sensations this infuriating pirate could evoke from her body.

Her frustrations with Will had reached the point where she wondered if perhaps there was something _wrong_ with her. If perhaps she was not _capable_ of experiencing the pleasure the poets touted as life's most divine gift. But now, here with Jack…she wondered if _her body_ was not the problem.

Elizabeth's eyes slipped closed as Jack's gentle touch travelled to her hair, stroking her mane carefully, almost as one would soothe a nervous filly on the verge of bolting. She shuddered, a delicious chill galloping down her spine. " _Jack_?"

"I have an idea, love. A _modest_ proposal, as it were."

Elizabeth raised one dark eyebrow.

She should have answered with indignant venom.

She should have run for the door.

But sometimes Elizabeth Swann just could not help but play with fire.

Her voice quavered _just a little_ as she inquired, "Indeed?"

"If the men of your experience have proved such a disappointment—"

"I've only been with _one!"_ she exclaimed indignantly, winning a gold glinting smile.

Jack continued on without missing a beat, "The whelp, I assume, no surprise there, and the quantity of notches in your bedpost is hardly a detriment, but _perhaps_ what you need is a little instruction in how to…fire your own cannon?"

Elizabeth gaped like a fish out of water, her hand flying to cover her mouth in her embarrassment. And yet, she knew she couldn't blame _all_ the heat that flooded her skin on mortification.

" _Jack_?"

He spread his hands wide, warming up to the subject with a twinkle of mischief in his eye. _God_ , but he was beautiful when he was up to something, she reckoned. "A woman who takes control of her own pleasure will never be beholden to a man for it again. Not that he shouldn't make an effort, mind you," he said, wagging a ringed finger righteously, "but it never hurts to have a trick or two up your own sleeve…"

Again, she should have slapped him silly for daring to make such a… _modest_ proposal. Yet Elizabeth found the prospect irresistibly enticing. Taking control of her _own_ destiny, as it were… It wasn't often she was given the chance, it seemed.

As her desires hurtled towards the edge of this new cliff, her conscience made on last ditch effort at salvation, slinging words in a huff. "You seem awfully confident, Captain Sparrow, for a man who hardly knows me."

Jack knew he had her then. He knew by the curiosity in her voice, knew by the way she shuddered as he swept her hair back from her shoulders. He chuckled darkly, his lips grazing the pulse of her neck. Elizabeth gasped, her hands fisting in the linen of his shirt. "I know far more about you than you give me credit for. You think your prude little whelp knows more about your nubile young body than _me_? An admitted and _devoted_ libertine pirate? You cannot _imagine_ the pleasures you are capable of, Miss Swann. Allow me to be your _guide_."

He continued his path down her neck, grazing her collarbone with his teeth. She melted in his grasp like butter beneath the hot sun, and his arms snaked about her willowy waist, pulling her close. The only answer she could muster was a sigh filled with longing, her head tilting back to grant better access to the length of her svelte swan's neck. "I'll make you an even better deal, darlin'. I promise I'll only touch you for the purpose of self-instruction. Your honor will even remain _somewhat_ intact. You can march right back to your blacksmith when this is all over, with a new arsenal of knowledge _under your belt._ "

A nervous little laugh escaped Elizabeth at hearing _that._

 _What honor?_ she wanted to say, but feared that would _really_ plunge her in over her head with Jack. Worse yet, she thought, _what blacksmith?_

"This proposition sounds as though it would be rather boring for you," she sighed, her last half-hearted attempt at evasion, enamored of the feeling of Jack's strong hands kneading into her sides. He could pull her to pieces with those hands, she reckoned. Sailor's hands, accustomed to hard work and unruly seas. What a marvel it was, that also he could be so gentle with her?

Amused that she _still_ didn't seem to understand her power as a woman, _her power over him,_ Jack chuckled, pressing a kiss behind her ear. "Oh, I will enjoy myself _most_ thoroughly, Miss Swann. You can count on that."

Elizabeth bit her lip, knowing she should say no. Knowing there would be the devil to pay later, if she surrendered this bit of ground to Jack Sparrow. But sometimes, it seemed like the devil and his get had _so much more_ fun in this life. With a single simple sentence she watched herself seal her fate. "Then we have an accord, Captain Sparrow."

Jack smiled, gold glinting in the low light, and Elizabeth couldn't help but imagine it was the way the snake smiled at Eve.

 _Just a bite, dearie. Just one little taste._

No matter what deal they made, somehow Elizabeth knew there would be no going back from this point forward.


	2. Lay Our Weapons Down

**Chapter 2: Lay Our Weapons Down**

Jack led her to sit upon his berth with a bow so gallant it was comical, and she could not hold back a giggle. Her heart felt like it might explode in that moment, it was so filled with joy and a sparkling elation. It felt remarkably like… _oh dear._

She inhaled a ragged breath, lips parted as she watched her pirate turn the lantern down low, and light a few more candles upon the bedside table. His every fluid gesture fascinated her, from the set of his mouth to the wave of his dexterous be-ringed fingers. He fussed as though he were setting the scene for a play, and her heart swelled again for the care he took to make things _just so_ in his cabin.

"How lovely," she said softly, glancing to the dancing candlelight. _How romantic._

"Lesson number one, love," said Jack, tossing away his hat and kneeling before her. "A little showmanship goes a long way."

He made to remove her boots, and there was something in his eyes akin to tenderness. It stole her breath away, and in that moment she wanted to ask a very dangerous question of him.

 _Do you love me, Jack?_

If the answer was _yes,_ it would be as equally exhilarating as it could be terrifying.

Unwilling to endanger the magic in this moment, she held her tongue, biting down upon her full bottom lip. The corner of Jack's mouth pulled, as though he sensed her inner turmoil, and wondered if she knew something of his own. She noticed his hands shook a little as he palmed her now bare feet, squeezing her instep in a way that made her groan. His hands traveled up her shapely calves, stroking the line of her shin in a way that made her shudder.

" _Christ, you are beautiful_ ," he grumbled under his breath, almost as though it _annoyed_ him. His hands travelled to her thighs, his thumbs grazing the sensitive flesh inside her legs. Elizabeth's head rocked back as he brushed against her throbbing center, a most unladylike groan escaping her.

Jack smiled, pleased by his findings. He'd always suspected she would be a sensual creature. He remembered he was supposed to be _instructing her_ , rather than losing himself in the pleasures of her lithe young body. "You can touch yourself like this, you know," he whispered, his voice husky with desire. "Grease the wheels, as it were." He could feel the moist heat emanating from her center, even through the thin fabric of her breeches. So _little_ , and she was ready, he marveled. How could the whelp have managed to fail her? _Stupid boy,_ he found himself thinking again.

"I like it when _you_ do it," she dared admit, winning a low sound from the pirate that sounded like a growl. It sent gooseflesh dancing across her skin, and she wondered if Jack might eat her up. She wasn't sure she would even mind.

Deft fingers plucked at the ties of her breeches, loosening them about her hips. He continued onward, up the buttons of her vest and shirt, pushing them from her shoulders. His mouth went a little dry at the sight of the linen that bound her breasts, the last vestige of modesty between them.

Suddenly feeling self-conscious, perhaps misreading the intensity of his stare, Elizabeth crossed her arms over her chest. "You too," she insisted.

As though waking from a trance, Jack shook his head, turning his eyes back up to hers. "Pardon?"

He had the look of a man who was drowning, and immediately Elizabeth softened again. "I want to see you too," she reiterated, her fingers travelling to the buttons of his tunic.

"As you like. But there's no need to be embarrassed on my account, love. You're safe here with me. To be _everything_ I know you truly are." His lips grazed her wrist, leaning into her touch. "Beautiful, wild, untamable…"

Elizabeth laughed a little, amused and enchanted by the way Jack described her. She wasn't sure at all that it was true, but she _wanted_ it to be. "I suppose you're quite pleased with yourself now, aren't you Jack?"

His smile widened, flashing gold. "Should I not be? Aren't _you?"_ His fingertips delved beneath her wrappings, and she squirmed a little, the urge to grab his hand and tear the wrappings off herself dueling within her. "I fear I'm no good at surrender," she admitted.

"Ah, don't I know it. But we needn't be adversaries all the time you know. Once in a while we can to meet on neutral territory—lay our weapons down..." Clever fingers found the end of her wrappings and gave it a tug, winning a gasp as her hands flew to her chest once more.

"You consider _your bed_ neutral territory?" she parried, incredulous.

Jack laughed, a sound filled with untainted joy, and in that moment he looked _years_ younger. "And why not? It could be the one place in the world where we needn't feel the need to do battle."

Elizabeth's hands returned to the buttons of his shirt, intent to make _some_ headway before he rendered her completely bare. "I have a feeling you still wouldn't mind running me through," she jested with a twist of a smile, winning a dark chuckle from her pirate captain. "Now, Lizzy. I made ye a promise. I'll even keep it this once—if that's what you want."

Elizabeth bit her lower lip, a war raging inside her. The truth was that she wasn't really sure _what_ she wanted. She suspected the answer was _everything,_ when it came to Jack Sparrow, and the prospect was as daunting as it was thrilling. As though he read this upon her expression, the way he seemed to have a talent for reading her like a book, Jack began to help her with his clothing with a renewed sense of urgency. Hands flew to buttons, sash, and effects, until he kneeled before her in naught but his breeches and sun-bronzed glory.

With Jack before her like this Elizabeth forgot all about their _deal,_ hungry to explore the shape of his whip-cord muscles with her fingers, his skin a myriad of inked images and mottled scars. He growled against her skin as her hands smoothed over his chest, dragging down the ladder of his ribcage. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to turn for a kiss, and Jack surged up against her, his tongue sliding into her mouth in a way that made her toes curl, a coiling heat clenching tight in her loins. "Touch me like that, darlin', and I'm going to forget all about our deal."

"I've done worse things, I suppose," she admitted cheekily.

His full lips twisted in a smile. "Have you? Do tell." He didn't really wait for an answer, his mouth finding hers once more as clever hands worked to finish unwrapping her linen bindings. When she was free he pushed her back on the bed, stretching out beside her like a great cat, his head propped upon his hand. Jack did his best to appear nonchalant, though his breathing betrayed his excitement.

Elizabeth squirmed a little under the intensity of his obsidian gaze, suddenly unable to meet his eyes. He turned her eyes back up to his with a finger hooked beneath her chin. "Don't be embarrassed, love," he coaxed her again. "Be proud. Be _fearless_. You're the finest beauty I've even laid eyes on, and I've seen a few in my day."

He watched as she relaxed a little, her chin regaining that haughty jut that drove him mad and kindled such a fire in his belly.

"Now then. First things first. I have found this is a good place to start."

Breathless, Elizabeth looked up to him, curiosity and desire written upon her fair features. He took her hand in his, leading her to touch her own nipples, circling and teasing back and forth until they puckered to hard points. She sighed, closing her eyes, the sudden pressure between her legs driving her _mad_. The only reply she could fathom at that moment was a plaintive, " _Oh_."

Jack beheld those full lips, parted with desire, and he simply could not resist taking another kiss, plying her mouth with his as slowly he led her hand down towards her center. She moaned against his mouth as their hands found the petals of her sex, and the divine pearl between them. "And this is where the magic happens," he said above her mouth, before descending upon her again. He guided her pace a little, toying with that lovely little nub of flesh, before she continued explorations of her own. She felt wicked and sensual and oh so _free,_ touching herself like this with Jack's lips upon her throat, her chest, and— _oh my_.

When his lips closed about her nipple, suckling and teasing with teeth, she thought she might _die_ from the sweet agony of it, spears of pleasure jetting from her breasts straight to her loins. " _Jack_ ," she panted. "I need…" She didn't know what she needed. _Something._ Something more, just a little more…

"This?" he asked, his voice throaty with desire. He dipped his finger inside her, finding her molten center, and groaned as he felt her womanhood contract around him.

"Yes," she sighed, her hips moving against him of their own volition, a dance her body already seemed to know, a dance between man and woman as old as time itself. " _Oh yes._ " Neither of them hardly noticed when Jack's hand nudged hers out of the way, his fingers replacing hers, slick with moisture and massaging her in maddening circles.

"Ripe as a peach, love," he groaned against her skin. "Swollen and dripping the sweetest nectar…how I want to taste you. Do you know what I would do for you, _anytime_ you asked, if you were mine? Oh, if you were mine…" He began to descend her body, his lips leaving a trail from her breasts down the center of her torso. He tugged away her loosened breeches, leaving her completely bare before him. She was too far gone to care, to remember _anything_ besides that she _needed_ him, moaning as he kissed her inner thigh.

When his lips touched her _there_ she really did think she might die of the pleasure, and a happy death it would be. That clever tongue had a way of driving her mad, it seemed, whether it was antagonizing her with words or…

Jack sucked upon the pearl between her legs, sliding long fingers inside her until she _broke,_ pleasure striking her like a lightning bolt down her spine, causing her to bow and let out a ragged cry of, " _Jack_!" He rode her until she quieted, laying limp and panting, trembling from the fury of her release.

"That was… _oh_ …I thought I couldn't!" she sighed as he joined her at the head of the bed once more, pulling her into his arms. "How did you _know_?"

Jack chuckled, pleased that he'd finally managed to render this girl _somewhat_ speechless. She rested her cheek against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his pounding heart.

"That?" he teased. "Just a little something I picked up in Singapore…"


	3. A Dangerous Thing

**Chapter 3: A Dangerous Thing**

Elizabeth laughed, swatting his chest. He pulled her close, his hands tracing the curve of her waist, causing her to shudder. Elizabeth could feel his manhood pressing against her hip, swollen and hard. Her hand travelled down his torso of its own volition, grazing him with her palm. He moaned as she touched him, his hips bucking against her hand of their own volition.

"Careful, love."

"It's a bit late for that, isn't it?" she sighed with a smile. "Or are you the only one who gets to break the deals we make?" She turned up her face to capture his lips with hers. Jack groaned into her mouth when he felt her working the ties of his breeches, freeing him into her hand. She marveled at the velvety length of him, such luxuriously soft skin around an appendage so hard with wanting. In that moment she _desperately_ wanted to feel him inside her. Wanted him to claim her completely, as completely as a man ever could.

"To be clear, we're talking about _me,_ inside _your_ body. You might regret that later, love."

She wasn't sure how she possibly could. There was something almost _fragile_ in his eyes, and she realized she would give _anything_ to chase away that darkness in his soul, what little remained of her honor the least among them.

"Not you, Jack," she sighed between kisses. "Could never regret loving _you_. _Please_?" She pushed against the waistband of his breeches, willing them _off._

Her choice of words made him utterly _dizzy_ with longing, a delicious ache assailing his heart. Did she mean that she _loved_ him? He didn't dare ask, didn't dare look back. Not yet. This was the opportune moment for…other things. Happily he complied with her wishes, shoving the offending article of clothing down his hips.

He drew her into his arms, their bodies flowing like water, so easily _together_ in a tangle of arms and legs and lips and whispered words of aching sweetness. "Bloody siren," Jack grumbled between kisses, his teeth grazing the line of her jaw. "I was lost to you, you know, since the first moment I lay eyes on you. Never had a chance."

Elizabeth laughed a little with disbelief. "Is that why you nearly wrung my neck with your manacles, and held a gun to my head?" she teased.

Jack spread her legs with his muscular thigh, and she sighed as he settled against the cradle of her hips, rocking himself against her. "Didn't scare you in the least, did it?"

She shrugged a little, a playful smile upon her lips. "I actually rather liked it."

Jack laughed, but mirth faded to something else entirely as he began to slide inside her, his cock stretching her tight sheath around him. He paused when she let out a small cry, unsure if it was pleasure or pain. "Alright, Lizzy?"

Elizabeth nodded against the bend of his neck, teeth grazing his collarbone. He was larger than what she was used to, but _oh—_ she didn't mind. "Don't stop," she pleaded, voice hoarse with desire. "I'm yours, Jack, _don't stop_."

She wasn't sure if it was her words or her body that caused an almost _pained_ moan to escape him as he began to rock against her. "Tis a dangerous thing to say to a pirate who wants to keep you, love. Perhaps I just won't let you go."

He watched as a dreamy smile overtook her lips, her head thrown back as he thrust inside her. "I don't think I would fight you," she sighed. "I think… _oh God_ don't ask me to think right now." Jack laughed, though his every nerve stood on end.

 _Don't get your hopes up yet, mate,_ he told himself. _Just wait to see what she says when this is all over._ He feared she would sing a _much_ different tune.

They found a rhythm between them, and in no time his pace became strained and irregular, nearly undone. She made a plaintive sound of protest when he withdrew from her, his breathing ragged. "Time to apply your lessons, Lizzy," he rasped, turning her onto her stomach. She writhed as he slid inside her again, crying out like a wanton thing. This was what he reduced her to, she marveled. A thing of pure animal desire, nothing but flesh and untainted sensation, without a care for modesty or propriety. He set her _free,_ and she didn't want this elation to _end_.

Jack licked her fingers and guided her to touch herself between her legs once more, slowing and deepening his strokes so that she might catch up. He kissed the back of her neck, tracing the curve of her long spine. Just a _little_ more of this and he knew he was done for, like some star-struck calf with his first sweet taste of a woman's quim. God but she made him feel _young._

At first she was unsure, but when she found her pace Jack felt it in the way her body arched against him, her slick channel clenching upon his cock like a vise. She never imagined _anything_ could feel so good, as the two of them working towards this shining peak, together. Jack's body filling hers sharpened every sensation within her, pleasure so intense it was almost _pain._

" _Oh Lizzy. Come for me, darlin'_ ," he begged, because he was going to embarrass himself at any moment.

He kneaded her breast in his hand, rolling her nipple between two fingers, and she came with a scream that surely woke the whole ship, her body contorting beneath him. Jack followed right behind her, barely able to unsheathe himself to spill upon her backside. They lay together in a trembling boneless pile, neither able to move for what could have been a minute or an hour.

Jack kissed her, and she felt unbearably cold when he vacated the bed. She watched him walk to the washstand, cleaning himself before bringing a rag for her, wiping away his seed from the curve of her bottom. She shuddered as rivulets of cool water ran down her skin, overly sensitive after the explosion just taken place inside her. She knew peace again when Jack crawled back into bed, pulling her into his arms. She shuddered as he delved his fingers into the mass of her golden hair, sweeping her mane aside.

Elizabeth feared the silence between them drew on too long. When had Jack _ever_ been so _quiet_? She bit her lip, stealing a glance up at him. He returned her gaze down his aristocratic nose, a single eyebrow quirked with amusement. Finally she couldn't _stand_ it. "Well? Did I please you?" she huffed, then buried her face against his chest with embarrassment.

Jack laughed, though not for the reason she feared. "You were bloody magnificent, love," he assured her, gentle fingers stroking her hair. "I can't let you go after _that_ , you know. You have to stay here on the Pearl with me."

His tone was playful, but as she looked up Elizabeth caught a fragility in his dark gaze, there and gone like ripples in a pool. "Very well, Captain Sparrow. If I must," she said with a faux gravity, finding that she meant every word.

Jack's eyes widened, his breath caught in his throat. "You mean that?"

A cat-like smile spread her lips as she realized she'd managed to flummox the unflappable _Captain_ Jack Sparrow. "Yes."

"And what about dear William?"

Her expression dampened a little. "I have to find him, Jack…I owe him that. But I… _you're_ what I want. You're what I've wanted all along. I just never thought…" She sighed, resting her head against his chest. In a small voice she dared ask, "Do you love me?"

Jack cupped her face in his hands, turning her gaze back up to his. " _Madly._ You drive me insane. I mean that in the best way, of course…do you love _me_?" He seemed almost as though he could hardly fathom the latter could possibly be true.

Elizabeth laughed, a sound filled with pure joy. "Of course I do."

He kissed her then, a sensuous lock of lips that curled her toes. "And all I had to do was swive you senseless to get you to admit it…" he teased.

"Scoundrel," she said, though not like she meant it much.

"Siren."

"Knave."

"Temptress."

" _Pirate_."

"You are too, Lizzy. Make _no_ mistake of that," said Jack through a chuckle.

"You've known all along."

"Darlin'," he admonished. "I'm _Captain_ Jack Sparr—"

The last was muffled by her mouth upon his, thus far Elizabeth's _favorite_ way to shut him up.

 **The End**

* * *

 _ **A/n: ::lights cigarette:: Well that was fun... ;) Thanks for reading, and as ever, your comments never fail to brighten my day!**_


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